


The Same Path Over and Over Again

by anothersilentwriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Blue Spirit - Freeform, Character Death???, Dadko, F/M, Kidnapping, Momtara, Painted Lady - Freeform, Romance, Zutara, Zutara Month 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothersilentwriter/pseuds/anothersilentwriter
Summary: Snippets and stories, mainly for Zutara Month 2020.
Relationships: Blue Spirit/Painted Lady, Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73





	1. Blue Spirit and Painted Lady

Zuko didn't know who she was until it was too late.

They meet between cities, hearing stories of each other and the other abilities. At first, he was convinced that she was in fact, the Painted Lady. Because how else could she glide in the air seamlessly her robes flowing behind her like the red of a setting sun? How else could she make mist appear around her without nothing surrounding her? How else could she heal the sick in the cities she meets with nothing more than a hand on their cheek and a touch? How else could she force men to the ground with nothing but the sheer power of her will and determination? 

How could Zuko have known that she wasn't anything but a spirit coming to aid him on his side journey to attempt to right his wrongs? Even though, looking back on it, she really truly was a spirit, more powerful even considering he knows who she is.

It's ironic really, that she finds him first. 

It's the very first shattering piece of purple in the sky, coming to take the place of the orange, red, pink and bright blue hues. The sun is setting, and the moon has begun her journey of making her path through the sky. When she finds him he's in a position where he can't really fight back. 

There are eighteen hired arms surrounding him, and he's trying to save a rich family of four from them. Normally, he is against these "rich" people, but he knows from first-hand encounters that out of the many villages in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, that they are one of the good ones. They hire the poor and the dirty, offer them a home in their houses and food from their many gardens. They pay for medicine to those who can't afford it, and once while traveling as Lee, they offered him a place to stay. Zuko couldn't say no since he was tired and hungry and the driving forces of basic human needs pushed him into accepting the offer. They forced him to eat with them, and for once they forced him into being in a family role. And when he left the next day, they sent him off with a bag of food and pouches of water and an invitation to return. He likes these people, and he doesn't want them to get hurt. 

But it seems to be that he is failing miserably because the disgusting thug who preys on the poor has decided to try and kill this family. And while he can take a good number of them on his own, he was afraid to say eighteen backed against the wall was nine too many for him to handle. 

Swords drawn and mask covering his face, he stood against the thugs ready to slice whoever dared came near. But he was tired, and there were too many. 

_And then she arrived._

In the light of the full moon, and the mist surrounding her she came upon them like a goddess. The Painted Lady was able to send men flying with nothing more than flicks of her hand. One man down, and another and another. And that gave him an opening to strike. 

While the mist was upon him, he found two men and sliced his swords across their armor and used his elbow to knock them out cold. Another ran up to him with a club and he cut the club in half with his right sword and thrust his left into the man's thigh. Gruesome and painful, but he wasn't dead.

They continued this, for how long he isn't sure. But he knows that between the two of them all men are on the ground, and the family is safe. 

"Go home," The Painted Lady had said, her voice holding a different quality to it, an accent that he couldn't quite place but sounded very vaguely familiar. "We'll watch you on the way back." 

The father's lips trembled, and he soon came to a bow. "Thank you, Painted Lady." 

He turned to Zuko, "Thank you, Blue Spirit." 

The next day in the village is how the spirits have come back and have been awakened. Legends and myths have become reality. That wherever the Blue Spirit is the Painted Lady always follows, and sometimes the myths would say that they would find each other. 

They meet a few times after that. 

She doesn't talk to him, and he assumes because she is a spirit and he a mortal who is attempting to be good. But he's okay with that because despite being a spirit he doesn't mind being around her. Zuko was never religious, nobody would ever be accused of calling him a pious man, but he did respect the spirits and the world. And he did respect her. 

He finds out that she's not a mortal when he sees her yelling "Fucking hell, why the goddamn rain..." And other various curses that he must admit made him feel guilty for hearing. She was gripping her hat, and he could tell by the red and purple on her hands that it was indeed painted dripping down her hands. 

He was disappointed then.

He wanted so desperately to believe in something, anything. His whole life had been centered around destiny and honor, and always something bigger than him that he was just comfortable being around a spirit stronger than him. But to find out his new source of hope at his lowest point was nothing more than a girl, a mortal being just like him...it was hard news to accept, but over time he found that it made his hope that he stored within her stronger. 

He makes a mistake in Ba Sing Se, and his brain was ignoring the fact that his hope and his possible redemption were one and the same. His brain was ignoring it so much so that he couldn't realize the similarities in their accents. And maybe, just maybe if he realized then he wouldn't have had blue eyes haunting him for the majority of his nights returning to the capital of the Fire Nation. Ocean eyes of regret and hope, staring into his soul and possibly drowning him. 

He finds her again in a fishing village, the Blue Spirit was working on a way to get rid of the factory and Prince Zuko looking to reconnect with his roots in a country he didn't recognize anymore. He saw her thereafter she blew up the factory, he was helping bring medicine to those who needed it even though many of them had miraculously gotten better seemingly overnight. 

He looked through a window and there she was, kneeling near a boy's mother, reassuring her that her son would be okay. He waited until she left and managed to corner her and show who he was, and surprisingly enough at seeing the mask she smiled at him. 

"Blue," She had said, "It's been a while since I've seen you." 

He nodded back at her.

"Find me again in the next three towns over." 

And so he did. 

And they repeated this pattern, her telling him about herself little things every time they met. One new fact with every bad guy they took down. He knew her favorite tea, favorite color, her mother was gone, her father fighting. He knew so many things about her and he didn't mind knowing his heart skipping a beat or two with every new fact that he learned about the so-called spirit. 

Ocean eyes still haunted him at night but, memories of a veiled girl helped him escape. 

Together they helped each other, her saving his life more times than he could count. Eventually, he came to realize that if it wasn't for this Painted Lady, he would be dead nine lifetimes over. He made a promise to himself that if he ever came to learn her identity, and she his, that he would promise his life to hers. He would spend the rest of whatever time in this world protecting her and if she refused it, he would at least try and be her friend.

He learned who she was after a despicable firebender who would terrorize orphans and try and hurt young girls. Zuko had never firebended as the blue spirit, but the Painted Lady had been burned and passed out and he- 

He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but his anger went through the roof. It seemed that then Agni had decided to bless him with raw power, as he took down the firebender with flames that burned hotter than anything he has ever conjured up before. 

He didn't know where to take her, so he took her into the woods near a stream and for the next four hours into the night worried about her life. He took out his emergency stash of band-aids, and burn creams and placed them gently placed them all along her abdomen where she was burned (the cloth had long since become ash). It would scar her left side, a big red and ugly mark that would forever stain her. He never removed her veil though, he didn't want to ruin the understanding and friendship that they had by breaking her trust. 

He felt guilty, he could have stopped it earlier. If he had let her know that he was a firebender than maybe, maybe she would be okay. But he couldn't do anything, but wait it out with an anxious heart. Every thirty minutes he placed new cream on her abdomen. 

It was the fifth hour that she woke up, she croaked out one word, "Water." 

Her voice was so weak and broken, and fragile. _Anything_ , he thinks, _he would have gotten her anything_. Something inside him broke, the same part of him that cracked when the water tribe girl touched his scar, the first time that fingers that weren't his to ever reach the mark that labeled him. He rushed to the stream, filling two cups of water and handing it to her. 

She doesn't even speak to him as she stares at the water, but her hands do this weird motion and suddenly the water is lifting out of his cups and around her hands, and he lets out a gasp. _No_ , he thought, it couldn't be her. It can't be. 

And as the water coated her hands, like a second glowing skin and he watched in awe and terror as the skin grew itself back together, slowly but surely. The Painted Lady- he refused to even think about the possibility of it being her- grunted in pain, and let out a collection of curses while the burns on her skin became normal again. It must have been painful, he wondered, because his Uncle normally said that the healers normally put the wounded asleep. 

Zuko watched as the only remnant left on her skin was a slightly pink mark. 

It was amazing, she was amazing. 

_Blue eyes meeting his, calloused fingers ghosting his face, a smile with determination, a person willing to believe in him..._

And he gave that up.

If Zuko wasn't pretending to be a spirit he would have cursed himself. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a hat hitting the ground, the veil swiftly falling with it. "Thank, you." 

He looked up at her, thankful that his mask was able to cover all the emotions that were swirling through him. He nodded. 

"I'm a waterbender." She admits, her head still tilted downwards. He wants to ask why, why would a waterbender be helping the Fire Nation? Why would somebody as kind as she, be helping the people that hurt her? But then he remembers that she once offered to help him. "I have healing abilities too." 

And then he wants to lose his mind. 

Because how could he have not noticed that it was her. 

It was the same girl. 

The damned spirits were playing tricks on him, laughing at him from their view in the spirit world. Of course, his damned luck would have it be her. Of course, it would be her. He knows her name, but he doesn't want to say her name- not yet.

He doesn't want to admit it.

Because maybe if he doesn't say her name, and he doesn't see her eyes then he could go back to lying to himself and convincing himself that the two girls aren't the same. That maybe the girl he associated with blue clothes and eyes, would not become the girl who wore burgundy dresses.

But then she lifts her head up, the veil is gone so he can see the brown color of her skin and the swirls that were now smudged. And she looks at him, with those eyes and it takes all of his self-control not throw the mask down and beg for her forgiveness.

He wants to beg for her forgiveness, apologize for his sins, thank her for his life. 

But he also wishes that it was somebody else's face underneath the mask, so that way if he did throw it down she wouldn't be disappointed. That maybe she would like the boy masquerading to be a hero when really he was just a coward hidden behind a sturdy piece of painted wood. 

"You saved my life," She says, sitting up despite the pain. And he can't help himself, he rushes for her side easing her into a more comfortable sitting position. "I owe you." 

_No, you don't._

_You don't owe me anything._

_Katara you owe me nothing._

But he doesn't say this, instead, he just takes the hand that somehow ended up in his (when did her hand end up in his?) and squeezes it reassuringly. Zuko wishes that all the things he is feeling and wishes he can say are being understood. 

"My name is Katara." 

He nods his head and then squeezes her hand again. _I know._

"You know?" 

She looks surprised but then gives him a small smile. "Well, you won't tell anyone won't you?" 

He nods his head again, _I'll keep you safe or I'll be there for you._

"I'm going to have to leave now."

His heart drops, but he helps her get back on her feet. He hands her more bandages and gives her the last of his burn cream, even when she raises a brow and at him and asks him if he's sure he doesn't need it. She thinks it is sweet, how she cares about him, but he also knows that if she were to find out who he was she wouldn't like him as much. 

She's about to leave. Hat in hand. Dress torn. Bandages around her stomach. Paint smudged. Burgundy and blue. She looks at him again, this is normally where she tells him the next town. But something is different, and maybe it is because he can see her face this time instead of a veil. Something liquid hits the ground. 

She's crying. 

"Caldera." She says, "But you won't see me there, so don't, don't come and find me. And I-" She chokes on a sob, "I hopefully won't have to come back to the Fire Nation after." 

And then it hits him, the Day of the Black Sun. 

She's going to be at the invasion, but she won't be there as the Painted Lady, she'll be there as Katara the water bending master. And the thought sends a shudder down his spine, she'll be in his city- his home in less than three months.

She turns around to head to leave, but then suddenly drops everything in her arms. Her arms are around him, and he's shocked to say at how he doesn't mind. "I'll miss you Blue."

He hugs her tighter, _I'll miss you too_.

"It will be the last time I see you." 

Behind the mask, he smiles and taps her shoulder in the way his mom used to before trips to the other islands of the Fire Nation on meetings. Two taps on the left, and three on the right. _I'll see you again._

She looked up at him, slightly puzzled but gave him a sad smile anyways. 

"I hope we meet again Blue."

When he returns to Caldera, he knows his destiny and he doesn't fight it. This time his destiny isn't something he is forced to do, he chooses to do this and it feels _right_. Because she helped teach him honor isn't taken away by a person, it is giving back to other people. He's ready. 

"Why did you come here?" She asks one day, sitting down next to him. It's similar to the day she grabbed his hand, and he wonders if the scar is still there. "What made you change your mind?" 

There isn't any anger or insinuation in her question, just the glimmer of curiosity. 

He smiles, "A person." 

She tilts her head, "A person?" 

He nods. 

"Who?" 

"Well, I'm afraid they never told me their name, but I knew who they were anyway," He says, and sends a silent prayer to Agni that she won't kill him. 

"Well..." She begins, "Are you going to tell me?" 

"It was a person who helped people. We met more than once but they gave me the chance to be somebody else, they helped me realize who I really was." He answers honestly, "They were an amazing person, and I really admired them." 

"Was it a girl?" She questions, she obnoxiously starts to whisper loudly, "Did you like her?" 

He turns red, "Yes, I did, but she gave me the silliest nickname." 

"What was it?" 

"Blue." 


	2. Momtara and Dadko

“MOM!” A loud and obnoxious voice rings through the entirety of the Ember Island House, making it’s way through the halls, sweeping past the corridors and getting past the door of the room Katara is staying in. Katara mutters a curse and then pulls her pillow over her head again, knowing who exactly it is calling for her, and planning on ignoring said caller. “MOTHER!”

The same voice again, and Katara groans, and repeats the same ignorant motions, pulling her pillow deeper over her head and this time pulling the blanket over too. She hopes that this time the lack of air will finally suffocate her and if she dies, at least she’ll die sleeping not having to listen to that ruckus of a voice.

“MOM!”

Katara refuses to move.

“MOTHER!”

She hears a shushing sound, a groan, a lighter voice and she waits a few seconds. Nothing. A few more seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds- A minute! A blessed minute of peace! How grateful she is for her to be able to get a few more hours of sle-

“MOM!”

Louder this time, and the house starts to shake and then Katara finally quits. She pulls on her red top and the maroon pants she stole from Sokka and then sewed together to make fit her, ignoring the rest of the outfit she normally wore. She places her hair in a messy ponytail, curls still sticking together and baby hairs sticking out from the top of her head due to the humidity.

“What is it?” She screams back, at the ignorant and insolent child. “What do you fucking want from me this time?”

All eyes were on her. Some taking in her different outfit approach, others taking in her red eyes and the dark circles underneath them. There were jobs dropped due to the fact that Katara cursed, something she normally kept to herself.

Nobody answered her, and she clenched her fist to her side. “I’m downstairs and I’m out of bed, what do you want from me this time?”

Still no answer. She scanned the room, watching each person with the ferocity of a Snake-Hawk and then she saw it. The blasted person responsible for waking her up and bringing her downstairs in this horrible mood, “You little shit.”

She walked up to them, grabbed their shirt and even though the blind girl couldn’t look at her back she knew very well that the girl would be intimidated by her, “What is it Toph? Why did you have to wake me up and make me come downstairs when I could have very well been sleeping-“

“It was because of Dad!”

“Dad?” Katara asked, loosening her hold on the girl. There was no dad in the group. It was common enough for Katara to be compared to being a mom, and it was also a new nickname along with Sugar Queen from Toph (a nickname she detested even though it was kind of true). “Dad?” Katara asks again, recovering from shock, “Who is this Dad?”

Toph smirks, and Tui and La, Katara is evaluating how wrong it is to murder children. “Yeah,” Toph says, “Dad.”

Katara lets go of Toph and looks around the room. It isn’t Suki, because if it was Toph would have a better nickname for her (she still hasn’t found one for the warrior). It isn’t Aang, because being fair Aang is just as much as a child that Toph is, maybe worse due to his over naivity and cluelessness (not that he isn’t wise at times, even though he is techinally one hundred and twelve years old…) And it certainly isn’t Sokka, because, she doesn’t even bother giving her thoughts a decent explanation. So that leaves, Zuko.

She ignores the comment, about Zuko being Dad and her being Mom and whatever relation those words have with each other and stares the boy down. “What happened?”

He gulps, “You see, _TophwasquestioningmeaboutsomepersonalstuffandIreallydidn’twanttoanswer,butthensheaskedmeaboutmylovelifeandyouseeIcan’tlietoherandI’mnotsurewhyshedidthisreallybutshecalledyoudownherebecauseIlike-“_

If Katara could see words, Zuko’s would be running past her like a herd of ostrich-zebras, blinding her until she would get dizzy. She has no choice but to interrupt him.

“What did you just say?” She puts her hand on her hips, and stares him down again. She recognizes that he’s about to do the same thing again, and shakes her head and holds a hand up to him. “Slow it down, but with words.”

Toph was snickering and whispered something to Aang that made him start laughing too. 

"You two," Katara turned to them, "Go to your room!" 

"But we don't have rooms," Aang interjected.

"Yeah," Toph agreed, "None of have our own rooms." 

"Go find one and stay there!" She screeched, "And Toph hand over your space rock, and Aang hand over your glider. You are both grounded." 

There was a chorus of complaints, "But-" 

"But nothing." She finalized, glaring at them. "You woke me up this morning, harassed Zuko and now you have the audacity to argue with me?" 

Katara gave them her famous glare, "You keep this up and neither of you are eating dinner tonight." 

The two of them mutter something quietly and then leave to head upstairs, both of them getting as far away from Katara as they possibly could. 

Sokka looked back and forth between his angry, sleep-deprived sister and Zuko. He grabbed Suki's hand, "The two of us are going to umm...do an activity together."

"Yeah," Suki agreed, her head nodding nervously, "We're going to do an activity." 

Sokka and Suki very quickly left the house, leaving the angry waterbender and the nervous firebender alone. 

"So," Zuko began, "I going to, uh, head out and let you rest. You know, because it seems like you need it, and I really don't want to get you upset-" 

"No." 

Zuko's eyes widened, "What do you mean no?" 

"Explain, what is going on." She demanded. 

"Well this is really crazy, but-" He took a deep breath, "I like you, Katara." 

He stared at her, waiting for a response. His heart was beating like crazy, and he watched as her facial expressions remained the same. As a few minutes past, he started to get annoyed, "Aren't you going to say anything?" 

"Really, Zuko?" She asked, crossing her arms against her chest. "You really are an idiot." 

It wasn't the reaction he was expecting. "What?" 

She laughs, "Listen if you like somebody you don't go on telling Toph. And two, while I do feel the same way-" She walked up to him, and placed a kiss on his cheek, before stepping away, "I'm tired and I'm heading back to bed." 

She yawned and turned around, heading back upstairs but pausing for a moment to look back at him, "And tell the kids that they can't have dessert tonight." 

"You owe me ten gold pieces, Toph." Aang held out his hand, watching as Toph counted the coins in front of him. "I told you she'd be too cranky to make a scene." 

"Well she wasn't too cranky to ground us," Toph grumbled. "I honestly thought they would have done something more interesting." 

"That's Momtara for you." 

"At least Dadko isn't any better." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know what this is


	3. Season 4 Zutara

She came in stomping into his office, and while a year has passed she has yet to lose any of that fieriness that has given her the reputation of being one of the fiercest women on the planet. 

"Who left you alone to run a kingdom?" 

"You did!" He yells at her, "You all did!" 

She's taken aback, the look of determination faltered. Her pursed lips frowned, and her narrowed eyes softened. "I-"

"Don't apologize." He doesn't want their apologies, because they were doing their jobs, and that meant them leaving to go visit the rest of the world, and leaving him behind. It didn't hurt, not at first. 

She frowns, pauses for a second, and then looks up at him "I'll help you."

"What?" 

"I said," She walks up to him, "I'll help you." 

He doesn't quite understand, "Help with what?" 

"Running the country, silly!" She smacks the back of his head with her hand, and he looks at his guards who just shrugs. "You need a break, and I need a job to do." 

"Don't you have a job?" He asks, "Travelling with the Avatar and at the South Pole?" 

She scowls at him, and her glare makes him regret asking the question. "Aang wants me to travel around constantly and I don't want to, besides he has Toph. And the South Pole, it's different and I'm not ready to stay there." 

He senses the emotions in her voice, the things she wasn't saying and decides not to push it. He understands not having a purpose, he went years of his life searching for something to only realize he didn't want it. He also knows that he will have an icicle at his throat if he doesn't let her. 

She's looking at him, hope in her eyes and he-

He can't say no to her. 

"Fine," he says and hands her a quill and paper, "I need you to write a speech to address the Councilmen."

The flash of excitement in her eyes, makes his heart flutter. "Thank you!"

And so their work together begins. 

Zuko didn't know how much the Fire Nation, needed a Katara until he had her working as his assistant, but she was the best thing since the war ended to have come. 

She brought new ideas and an outside perspective all while still maintaining respect and history for the culture. She was an avid reader, and had memorized all the Fire Nation laws in under a month- something Zuko had yet to do. 

When he asked her about it, she simply laughed and said somebody had to do it. 

The people loved her, maybe more than they loved him. Whenever they traveled around the country she always went with him, healing the sick and the wounded. While not everybody loved her, those stuck in a hundred years of violence and racism her water bending and her public speaking skills was enough to make even the most stubborn respect her. 

She stays for a year, and then decides to stay for another. Before he knows it, the war has been over for five years and Katara has been by his side for four of those years. The Fire Nation isn't perfect, but it is has improved and many of those improvements are because of Katara. 

So when she leaves it hits him like a knife in the gut, but he accepts it because her Grandmother is dying and he can't keep her here, not when her family needs her. 

It's quiet without her.

There is no laughter, no secret smiles during meetings, no snarky comments at Councilmen. 

Children ask for her, mothers miss her, fathers express concern and he-

There is an ache in Zuko's heart and Zuko knows that only one person can fill that ache and she isn't here. 

"Who left you alone to run a country?" He thinks he is dreaming when he hears her voice because he very well might be. His head is resting in a pile of papers that he forgot to do a few nights ago ( or was it last month? Katara normally kept track) and now he can't remember what he was doing. 

His voice is groggy, and breaking when he answers, "Some girl, a really smart girl whom I miss very much." 

"That must suck, Fire Lord."

"I miss Katara," He groans. "I want her back." 

"Well, I'm right here." 

He sits up and rubs his eyes. It is her, it is really her! And he is standing up and out of his chair so quickly and throwing his arms around her because he missed this beautiful intelligent girl so much. 

"Stay with me," He begs, words slipping out of his mouth so quickly that he doesn't know what he is saying, just that he is saying it. "Please stay with me, I need you to help me run this blasted country and I need you. These last few months have been hell without you, Katara I love you and everything about you." 

She smiles at him, "I was just going to ask you if I could stay." 

He can't help the way he smiles into her hair, because now he has somebody to run this country with him, and everything is going to be okay.


	4. Don't Hurt Him

"Don't hurt him!" She screams, her voice so loud and powerful and cracking- her vocal cords are ripping themselves apart, "Don't hurt him!" She sobs as they drag him away. The Fire Nation guards pulling the arms of their prince, his legs falling limply behind him. "Leave him alone!" 

She can't lose him, she can't let them take him. 

"ZUKO!" 

His eyes are dangerously close to closing, and he's being pulled farther and farther away from her. Tears are burning her eyes, and she wished that there weren't so many fucking guards in her way. Every time she knocks one down, another ten show up to take thier fallen comrades place. 

"Zuko!" She cries again, she has to make a choice but she doesn't want to. Behind her Aang is surrounded too, Sokka is on the ground, Suki's already lost, and Toph is hiding herself in a cocoon of rock. 

She meets his eyes and the world freezes, golden contacts blue and she feels the tears falling to the ground. _Go_ , he mouths to her, _go_. She shakes her head, pulling water from her pouch, from the ground, from plants, she pulls the spilled blood from the ground, and she pushes forward. 

One man's throat is torn open, his words ripped from his throat. 

Another falls to the ground with a water whip. 

Three don't even make it a foot near her.

But she's too far away- he's too far away from her. 

Her brother calls out her name, and Aang begs to retreat and it is the hardest fucking thing in the world for her to turn around. 

"Don't hurt him," She prays to the spirits, to Tui and La, and to Agni and Yue, she prays to all of them, as she forces her body back to her friends, "Don't hurt him." 


End file.
